mi vida loca, round 582

Posting shall be sporadic this week and possibly the beginning of next week. (OK, you got me, smarty pants. Read that last sentence: Posting shall be more sporadic than usual.)

My dad is in the hospital. A few weeks ago, he broke some ribs. He's been in a lot of pain, but otherwise, he'd been improving daily. Then, on Tuesday, he developed blood clots in his leg and lungs. Pretty serious stuff. As of yesterday pm, he is in a regular room. He is breathing better. He is getting better.

I shall now leave you with my list of what we've learned from this medical crisis/experience. (I totally feel like I'm "spinning" this to my kids. . ."Papa is sick. He's at the hospital, and they're going to make him alright.")

Top 12 things you learn in a medical crisis

1. You never want your mom to call and say, "your dad is not doing well. Can you come to the ER now?"
2. Hospitals work on their own time frame. This means it takes hours for a procedure/discharge/transfer, etc., but do not think this means you can eat or visit during random times. . .
3. No matter how many times you explain to your father what you do for a living, your dad will mess it up when he tells someone. . .but he'll do it proudly!
4. There is no comfortable place to sleep in a hospital. . .
5. but eventually, you'll look longingly at the hospital bed that your family member is resting (uncomfortably) in.
6. Getting to speak with a doctor is like winning the lottery.
7. Hospitals are noisy--even if it's just the internal ramblings tumbling through your mind at 3 am.
8. EVERYONE calls when you're in a hospital, and you do not have a phone charger.
9. No matter how many times you tell the staff that he's hard of hearing, they will talk softly and have to repeat everything.
10. My father can find out more about someone (and less about his medical condition!) in 3 minutes than most people. (Case in point: His doctor grew up in Osceola, and he could throw a rock from his house to the river growing up. . .)
11. If you wear scrubs, you will get a discount--no questions asked.
12. Words can never express an appropriate level of gratitude for the thoughts and prayers from friends, family, and strangers.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS!